In a fairy-tale world, you could kiss a frog and turn it into Prince Charming. No such luck in the real world. If it’s any consolation though, a Polish designer is converting thousands of toads into highly desirable fashion accessories. I mean, who wants men when you can have designer purses, right?
Photo: Perleet Papillon
Photo: Perleet Papillon
Photo: Perleet Papillon
Photo: Perleet Papillon
Photo: Kobja
Photo: Kobja
Photo: Kobja
The highly poisonous cane toads live in the South Sea Islands in Australia. They are considered an invasive species, which means they are a serious threat to the native biodiversity of the continent. Introduced to Australia from Hawaii in 1935, their main purpose was to control the native cattle beetle. The mission failed and cane toads began to multiply at an alarming rate – there are now over 200 million of them. The Australian army was deployed to get rid of them by the thousands.
Putting the two stories (of Prince Charming and the Unwanted Toads) together is Polish designer Monika Jarosz. It all started when a friend gifted Monika a stuffed frog from New Zealand. “It disgusted me, but ended up fascinating me,” she says. The more she stroked it, the more she liked the idea of creating something from similar material. Soon the concept was born – leather purses and bags with the toad skin intact, head included.
At first, Monika had no clue where to source frog skins from. She contacted several restaurants with frog legs on the menu, but to no avail. Finally, she struck gold when she heard of the cane toads of South Sea Islands. Her website states: “This highly poisonous toad is in the process of destroying several local species. Animal defence associations have recommended its selective elimination. In this way, each toad skin is recycled, not destroyed.”
With the help of an Australian taxidermist from Cairns, Monika developed the process of converting these unwanted toads into high fashion accessories. Three years later she launched the brand ‘Kobja’, with a range of accessories like belts, bags and purses made of whole skins.
Read more at Oddity Central.